


Dead Man's Chest

by pyrtania



Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: M/M, i'm still figuring out how to do ratings and tags, this is my first post
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-27
Updated: 2015-02-27
Packaged: 2018-03-15 12:53:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3447926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pyrtania/pseuds/pyrtania
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Sunggyu's past comes back to haunt him, he finds himself in a dangerous situation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dead Man's Chest

**Author's Note:**

> This was written in 2012, and it supposed to be somewhat tied to The Chaser MV. I'm cross-posting my fics from my livejournal. I'm still figuring out how to use this website so please leave me any tips or comments if I need to fix something. Enjoy!
> 
> P.S. I chose not to tag any archive warnings for the sake of the plot/surprise so be warned. (There is nothing graphic.)

"I’m back!” Woohyun’s voice rang through the apartment as the door slammed behind him. Grocery bags hung from his arms as he stumbled his way into the kitchen, tripping on a random shoe and what looked like a huge stack of bubble wrap.

“Sunggyu?” he called.

Silence.

He closed a cabinet door with his foot and shifted a bag higher up on his arm. “Yah! Kim Sunggyu!”

When there was still no answer, Woohyun dropped the bags onto the counter and marched down the hallway. “Wow, thanks for answering when your best friend is calling you, asshole,” he said, leaning against the doorway to Sunggyu’s room where said man was sitting in front of his computer with an expression of deep concentration.

“Hi, Woohyun.” Sunggyu kept his eyes trained on the screen, fingers flying over the keyboard.

“What’re you doing?” Coming to stand behind him, Woohyun poked Sunggyu in the head, hard, and Sunggyu punched him in the arm in retaliation.

“Working. Can you please leave me alone?”

“You know, for someone who eats my food and sleeps in my house and has me wash his clothes, you really are a bitch sometimes, you know that?” Woohyun jabbed him in the head again.

Sunggyu sighed, swiveling around in his chair as Woohyun dropped onto Sunggyu’s bed, folding his arms behind his head. “Sorry, Woohyun, I’m just…stressing out.”

Woohyun rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “How unusual.”

“Woohyun.” Woohyun looked over, alerted at the serious tone. “I saw someone waiting outside the apartment this morning.”

Woohyun froze. The two looked at each other for a moment. “Like, outside our door or outside the building?”

“Outside the building. The receptionist told me that a guy asked if a man named Lee Sunggyu lived here.”

Woohyun bit his lip, eyes still locked on Sunggyu’s face. “Lee? Well, maybe it wasn’t them, then, if they didn’t even know your full name…right?”

Sunggyu turned back around in his chair, hiding his expression. He unconsciously fingered the chain hanging around his neck. “Maybe. But I’m checking the security footage just in case.”

Woohyun got up and leaned over Sunggyu’s shoulder, placing a warm hand on the other shoulder. “You hacked the security cameras?”

“Of course. It’s not like it’s hard.” Woohyun just laughed, ruffling Sunggyu’s hair affectionately.

“Alright, you check into that and I’ll make us some dinner.” With that, Woohyun squeezed Sunggyu’s shoulder and slipped out of the room.

Sunggyu squinted at his computer screen. His fingers tapped a few more keys and then “Hah! Gotcha.”

A fuzzy picture appeared on the screen. A few small numbers in the corner read “10:42 am”. The lady at the receptionist counter, Mrs. Jung, was reading a book. Sunggyu waited with bated breath, watching as she flipped a page, then another. Suddenly, someone walked up to the counter, their back to the screen. Sunggyu straightened up, narrowing his eyes. Mrs. Jung looked up and smiled, talked a little bit, and laughed. Then she shook her head, a confused look on her face.

After about a minute, the figure bowed to her and turned to leave. Sunggyu quickly hit the pause button and stared. The person, now facing the camera, was young, about his age. He was tall and pale, with big eyes and long hair that brushed the back of his neck. He was dressed inconspicuously, wearing a simple black t-shirt and jeans. The only thing that really stood out about him was the multiple piercings outlining his left ear. It seemed like there were at least six, if not more.

“Woohyun?” Sunggyu called, eyes still on the screen. He stared at the man’s face, trying to make a connection.

A second later, Woohyun poked his head in, a spatula in his hand. Sunggyu pointed to the screen. “Do you recognize him?”

Woohyun leaned over Sunggyu’s shoulder, squinting at the screen. “I…don’t think so. He doesn’t seem familiar. Is he…?”

Sunggyu frowned. “I’m not sure yet. Mrs. Jung said that he didn’t leave his name.”

Woohyun was silent for a long moment. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“Hey,” Sunggyu said, nudging Woohyun with his head, “let’s not assume anything, alright? This could be nothing.”

Woohyun nodded, turning to leave. “Let’s hope so,” he said, before closing the door behind him.

-

The next day saw no progress in figuring out the identity of the mysterious man. Sunggyu searched every resource he knew, only to come up empty. And because Sunggyu was a bit of an expert in this type of thing, he began to get worried. Worried enough that he spent most of the day in his room, trying and re-trying to match the man’s face to any records.

About an hour after dinner (which Sunggyu ate in his room, in front of the computer, much to Woohyun’s annoyance) Woohyun shouted his name. “Hey, someone’s calling for you!”

Sighing, Sunggyu dragged himself away from his computer and into the kitchen and carefully took the phone from Woohyun’s waiting hand. “Hello?”

“Sunggyu?” The voice was tense and breathless, but familiar.

Sunggyu straightened up instantly. “Myungsoo?” From the corner of his eye, he could see Woohyun tense up too, the line of his shoulders snapping into a straight line. He turned his back to the other boy. He should probably hide his expression, just in case.

“Sunggyu, man, something’s happened. You’ve got to get out of there.” Myungsoo’s voice was quiet but laced with a panic that immediately struck fear in Sunggyu’s heart.

Myungsoo never panicked.

“What? What are you saying? Did something happen?”

“They’re gone. The files. Sunggyu- all my files are gone. I think I’ve been robbed.”

Sunggyu choked, reaching out to grab the counter and steady himself. “G-gone? What do you mean gone? Gone as in…stolen?”

Myungsoo let out a long breath, loud against Sunggyu’s ear. “Yes. They’ve been stolen.”

Sunggyu closed his eyes, swallowing the lump in his throat that had formed as a result of Myungsoo’s words. His hand automatically went to his chest, pressing on his shirt until he could feel the line of his necklace under his palm. He could feel Woohyun’s concerned and questioning gaze on him but he ignored it. There was one more thing he needed to know.

“Myungsoo. Who…who stole them?”

There was a long silence where Myungsoo panted against the receiver. When he finally answered, Sunggyu’s eyes snapped open.

“I think you know.”

Then the line went dead.

“Sunggyu?” Woohyun placed a hand on Sunggyu’s arm timidly. “Is…everything okay?”

Sunggyu turned to look at him, eyes still wide. He stared at Woohyun’s confused expression before blinking a few times. “No. No, everything is not okay. We need to leave. Now.” He started to head down the hallway, grabbing everything he could reach.

“Sunggyu, wait-” Woohyun followed him into his bedroom where he yanked a suitcase out of the closet and started filling it with everything he could lay his hands on. “What-”

“Please, no questions, Woohyun,” Sunggyu practically begged. He turned to Woohyun with a hard expression on his face. “We’re both in danger and we have to leave.”

“Leave? Like for good? Why? What did Myungsoo say?” Woohyun grabbed Sunggyu’s arm to stop him from his haphazard packing. “Answer me!”

“Woohyun, listen to me!” Sunggyu demanded, raising his voice. Woohyun froze. Sunggyu never raised his voice at him. Sunggyu grabbed his shoulders and shook them slightly. “Woohyun, I know that this seems crazy, but you’re going to have to trust me on this. What Myungsoo told me is very serious, but I don’t have time to explain it to you. I promise I will explain it all later. But right now, we have to leave this place. I want to keep you safe and this is the only way. Just- trust me. Please.” He kept his eyes steady, locked with Woohyun’s until the other man dropped his eyes and nodded slowly.

Sunggyu exhaled, surprising Woohyun by pulling him into a tight hug and pressing his face against his head. He might’ve even pressed his lips to Woohyun’s hair, but maybe that was just Woohyun’s imagination.

Ten minutes later, the two walked out of the apartment, suitcases in hand. Sunggyu punched the button for the elevator. When Woohyun glanced at him, his jaw was tightly clenched.

Keeping his eyes on Sunggyu, Woohyun voiced a thought he had been considering while they were packing. “This is about them, isn’t it?”

Sunggyu just pressed his lips together.

-

Sungyeol’s shoes clicked on the linoleum floor as he walked down the hallway, folder in hand. He pushed open a huge wooden door and was greeted with the sight of two men seated at a long wooden table, shined to perfection. He tossed the folder so that it slid along the entire length of the table and stopped right in front of the man at the other end. He smirked. “I got your file.”

The man stared at the folder for a moment then reached for it with long, slender fingers. He opened it a fraction, rifling through the papers inside. “Are you sure this is the right one?”

Sungyeol smirked again, picking an invisible speck of dirt from his black t-shirt. “Kim Sunggyu, age 24, Type A, 178 cm tall, formerly a scientist that worked for this agency, was working on top secret project, X17, when he mysteriously disappeared. Our files end there, pronouncing him dead after a ten month search.” Sungyeol smiles dangerously. “This file, however, does not. Kim Sunggyu has a connection within the government that has kept him hidden. He has been living under a fake surname, Lee, and lives in an apartment in Seoul with a man named Nam Woohyun, assumed to be his accomplice.”

“A connection?” The man questioned curtly.

“Kim Myungsoo, sir.”

“Myungsoo? A double agent?” His eyes narrowed but he nodded slowly, flipping through a few of the documents. “Is that all?”

“I haven’t even gotten to the best part yet.” The man raised his head, intrigued. “Our files state that X17 failed and was destroyed in a laboratory fire the day of its scheduled test run. This file, however, states otherwise. X17 was not destroyed. It was used.”

The man’s eyes widened. “Used?” he snapped.

Sungyeol nodded. “Kim Sunggyu put X17 into effect the day of the fire. It was successful.”

The man froze, his voice full of wonder. “It was successful?”

“Project X17 was successful. Kim Sunggyu is living proof.”

The man ran a hand through his hair, eyes wide. “Kim Sunggyu put X17 into effect…on himself?”

Sungyeol nodded again.

“Well. This mission seems to be bigger than I initially anticipated. Project X17 was a top secret Agency X project and should not be anywhere other than a guarded laboratory with extensive surveillance. If it ends up in the wrong hands, we could have a huge problem. ” He glanced to his right, where the other man was sitting, silent throughout the entire exchange. His hair, which was a strange shade of blue, hung in front of his eyes. “First, Kim Myungsoo must be eliminated. Sungyeol, you are in charge of that.”

“Yes sir.”

“Make it quick. We have enough to handle as it is.”

“Yes sir.”

The man then looked at the blue haired man beside him. “Dongwoo, find this Kim Sunggyu. I want him tracked down. Then,” the man stood up and smoothed the wrinkles out of his suit jacket, “destroy X17.”

Dongwoo lifted his head, a confused look on his face. “D-destroy it, sir? But it could be useful-”

“X17 is a highly dangerous experiment. It is the only one of its kind as of right now and, thanks to Kim Sunggyu, we have no idea how it works. It must be destroyed.” The man interrupted with a voice as sharp as glass.

Dongwoo dropped his head and nodded quickly. “But if we destroy X17…we kill Sunggyu.”

The man walked over to the door, placing a long-fingered hand on the doorknob. “Then kill him. Kill anyone who gets in your way. X17 must be terminated.”

With those words, he left the room, the door slamming behind him.

-

Sunggyu rapped his knuckles on the door once, twice, three times. He waited for a moment before knocking again, once, twice, three times, then once more.

He took a step back, glancing at Woohyun, whose face was impassive. After a few minutes Sunggyu stepped forward again, raising him arm to knock when the door flew open. A young man stood in the entryway, shorter than the both of them. His hair was messy and his eyes were drooping, looking every bit like he had just woken up from a nap. He wore only pajama pants, slung low on his hips, the black waistband of his underwear showing. He regarded them with sleepy eyes. After looking them up and down, he grunted and retreated back into his room, leaving the door open.

Woohyun gave Sunggyu a look, but Sunggyu just followed the shirtless man back into the hotel room.

Sunggyu took a quick look around the room, which was quite messy, then parked his suitcase next to one of the two beds. “Myungsoo. Nice to see you.”

Myungsoo plopped down on the edge of the other bed. He grunted again, and Woohyun supposed that was just his way of communicating.

“You doing okay?” Sunggyu asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

Myungsoo turned to him with a hard stare, eyes as deep and dark as the night sky. “Do I look like I’m doing okay?” Now that he was actually talking, Woohyun noted that his voice was smooth but quite unique, almost nasally- but not unpleasantly so.

Sunggyu just blew out his cheeks and perched lightly on the bed. “Look, this is my fault, I-”

“Don’t.” Myungsoo’s eyes were still dark, but there was a slight softening of his gaze. “I don’t blame you, okay? I got careless. It had been so long since I had heard anything about my files that I started to get lax. I wasn’t checking and double-checking the security, I stopped looking out for signs that anyone knew at work. That’s probably how it slipped past me. I had just run out to get some groceries, and when I came back, all of my files were all gone. It was someone at work, Sunggyu, I’m sure of it. Nothing was touched expect for the vault where I kept the files. Not a single thing was out of place. They’re the only ones that could figure out how to get through my security.”

He placed his palms on the bed underneath him, leaning back on his arms. “But we better hope that it’s not them. Because if it is, we don’t have much of a chance of out-smarting them. Once they read the file, they’re gonna come after you. And once they find you,” Myungsoo shook his head slightly, “they’re gonna have to kill you.”

“Kill him?” Woohyun questioned. He hadn’t moved from his place right inside the doorframe, listening to the whole conversation with a mix of confusion and a little bit of fear. “I know that he’s supposed to be dead and all, but wouldn’t they just- I don’t know- capture him or put him in jail or something? Why would they kill him?”

Woohyun’s question rang in the silence that followed. Sunggyu’s head was bowed, his hands resting in his lap. Myungsoo stared at Woohyun with the strangest look on his face, something like confusion, or maybe disbelief. He stared long enough to make Woohyun feel uncomfortable, and he shifted awkwardly on his feet. Myungsoo glanced at Sunggyu (quickly, but Woohyun caught it) before suddenly rubbing his palms on his pants.

He awkwardly cleared his throat and stood up, grabbing a card from the nightstand. “Well! I booked the room next door for you two for tonight, so here you go.” He handed the card over to Sunggyu, who also stood up. “We can’t stay in the same place for more than one night if we want to avoid being caught. Now get your asses out of here; you interrupted my beauty sleep.”

While Woohyun was distracted with gathering up their stuff, Myungsoo gripped Sunggyu’s arm and pulled his close. “He doesn’t know about X17, does he?”

Sunggyu swallowed, shaking his head. “No,” he whispered.

Myungsoo clenched his jaw. “Sunggyu,” he said, his voice hard even in a whisper, “you need to tell him. How can you expect to drag him along into this mess if he doesn’t know the whole truth?”

Sunggyu dropped his eyes to the floor. “I can’t. I can’t tell him. I just can’t.”

“Why?” Myungsoo hissed, jerking Sunggyu’s arm slightly.

Sunggyu glanced over his shoulder at Woohyun. The other boy, oblivious to their entire conversation, was struggling with the suitcase whose wheels had somehow gotten caught in the bed sheet. When he looked back at Myungsoo, something in his expression must have tipped Myungsoo off because the man was staring at him with deep eyes and a dawning comprehension. He shook his head. “You’re in some deep shit, Kim Sunggyu.”

Sunggyu sighed. “I know.”

“You know it’s going to come down to it, though, don’t you? You’re going to have to tell him.”

Sunggyu pressed his lips together. “I know. I’m just going to put that day off as long as possible.”

“Sunggyu?”

Both men looked over at Woohyun, who was standing at the door with both suitcases in tow. “Are you coming?”

With a quick squeeze of Myungsoo’s arm, Sunggyu nodded, following Woohyun out the door and into their own hotel room.

-

Once inside their own room, both men began to unpack their suitcases in silence. They were both exhausted, and Sunggyu volunteered to take his shower first. Woohyun agreed, and Sunggyu gratefully slipped into the bathroom. He turned on the water and stripped off his clothes, everything except for the thin chain around his neck. As the hot streams of water ran down his body, he stuck his face into the spray and tried not to think about his current situation. Which, of course, failed. So he leaned against the smooth walls of the shower and made a mental list of all the problems he was now facing.

One: he was technically not alive- according to the Agency X records, anyway. He has been living under Woohyun’s roof for two years, staying out of public view most of the time. As a precaution, he dyed and cut his hair and spent a lot of his time hiding indoors at the gym. His new hair and physique lessened the chances of being identified. He had assumed a fake surname- Lee. Myungsoo has helped him out in more ways than one: finalizing his file on the Agency X records, refuting any suspicions about him, helping him cover up the whole laboratory incident. While all this was extremely helpful, it also makes it extremely hard to be on the run because he absolutely could not be recognized.

Two: the project. X17. Someone is after the project and he knows it. Myungsoo’s been keeping records on its progress since Sunggyu put it into effect, and now that someone has their hands on those records, they might be able to figure out what really happened. Which, Sunggyu knows, is a very very bad thing, precisely the reason why the laboratory fire was staged in the first place.

Three (probably the thing that is taking up most of Sunggyu’s thoughts): Woohyun. When Sunggyu came to live with Woohyun, he told him all about his situation- how he used to work for the government and went “missing” and supposedly died. He did not mention, however, X17. Woohyun knew that there was a laboratory fire, set up to mask Sunggyu’s escape, but did not know what he was working on. He did not know that Sunggyu had escaped with the project, had used it on himself. Sunggyu had decided it would be much safer to keep Woohyun in the dark about that particular subject, but he couldn’t help feeling guilty. The project was such a huge part of the problem, so shouldn’t Woohyun be informed? But then Sunggyu pictured Woohyun’s face if he told him, the disgust and revulsion plain in his eyes. He pictured Woohyun being tortured for information by the people that were hunting him.

Sunggyu’s fist slammed against the tile with a loud thud. No. Nothing will happen to Woohyun; he will be sure of it.

When he finally emerged from the shower, Woohyun was already asleep, sprawled out on top of the covers, still in his clothes. His chest rose and fell in a slow rhythm. Sunggyu paused for a moment, tracing the lines of Woohyun’s face with his eyes. Woohyun’s lips were curled into a smile; maybe he was having a good dream. Not having the heart to wake him up, Sunggyu gently untied his shoes and slipped them off of his feet, pulling the covers up to Woohyun’s chin. After a moment’s hesitation, he carefully bent down and fleetingly pressed his lips to the other man’s forehead.

“I’ll keep you safe, Woohyun. I promise.”

-

The next day started early for the three men on the run. They got up with the sun and left the hotel within half an hour. When they reached the main entrance to the hotel, a sleek, nondescript black car pulled up in front of them. Sunggyu threw Myungsoo a questioning look.

Myungsoo replied with a smirk, opening the door on the passenger’s side. “I have my connections.”

The inside of the car smelled like leather. Sunggyu and Woohyun settled themselves in the backseat while Myungsoo rattled off directions to the driver with a quick tongue that neither Sunggyu nor Woohyun understood. Woohyun raised an eyebrow and caught Myungsoo’s eyes in the rearview mirror.

“What?” Myungsoo asked.

“You speak Japanese?”

Myungsoo smirked. “Doesn’t everyone?”

Woohyun just snorted, rolling his eyes.

“Where are we going?” Sunggyu questioned, watching the buildings of Seoul flash by.

“I have a friend that lives near Incheon that we can stay with for a little while.”

“Is he…” Sunggyu furrowed his eyebrows “safe?”

Myungsoo just laughed. “Let’s just say that the truth is not written on his government records either.”

A few hours later, the car pulled up to an apartment building in the middle of a peaceful neighborhood. From the window, Sunggyu could see a family with two kids playing in the park, a young girl walking her dog, and an older man riding a bicycle. This surely doesn’t seem like a place a fugitive would live.

When the car stopped, Myungsoo glanced back at the two of them, Woohyun sleeping soundly with his head on Sunggyu’s shoulder. “I’m going to go in and check,” Myungsoo said. “We need to make sure he’s here before we go barging into his house, even though I already have a key.” With that he swept the door open and sauntered up to the door, disappearing into the building.

Left alone with a driver that spoke only Japanese and a drooling Woohyun, Sunggyu leaned his head against the window. He closed his eyes and briefly prayed that Myungsoo’s friend, whoever he was, was home so that they could finally rest.

He was just about to nod off when a loud shot rang through the quiet neighborhood. He straightened up instantly, Woohyun’s head slipping off of his shoulder. The sleeping man woke with a grunt, falling over into Sunggyu’s lap. Sunggyu barely had time to react when someone came bolting out of the front door of the apartment building.

In a flash Myungsoo was yanking the car door open, jumping inside and yelling at the driver to drive. He was so rushed that he was yelling in Korean, but thankfully the driver figured it out from his wild hand gestures and urgent tone. The driver pressed a heavy foot on the accelerator and the car shot forward, speeding out of the lot and back onto the road.

Myungsoo was turned almost completely around in his seat, craning his neck to see out of the back window. He was breathing heavily, chanting a mantra of “shit shit shit shit shit” under his breath. When the apartment building was finally out of sight, he slumped against his seat, running a shaky hand through his hair.

“Myungsoo!” Sunggyu practically yelled. “What the hell just happened?”

Myungsoo closed his eyes, his chest still heaving, breaths still coming quick. “They…found…him. They knew…that we were…coming.”

“Wait, they found him? Did they try to shoot you?” Sunggyu asked, suddenly concerned. He leaned forward, trying to look for any injuries on Myungsoo’s body.

“I’m fine, I’m fine. I knocked on his…door, and when he didn’t answer…I went inside. He was sitting on the chair with…a bullet through his head.” At these words, Myungsoo’s face turned dark and Woohyun gasped. “There was a note in his lap. I barely had time to read it…before someone jumped out from behind the couch and fired at me. I threw a lamp…at him and ran.”

“What did the note say?” Sunggyu asked, but he wasn’t quite sure that he wanted to hear the answer.

Myungsoo turned to look at him with deep eyes, trying to send him a message. “It said ‘Keep running, Kim Sunggyu. We’ll find you.’”

The silence after those words filled the small space inside the car. It felt like it was crushing Sunggyu’s chest. He struggled for air. “They know where we are.”

“Not only that,” Myungsoo cut in, leaning his head back against the seat and closing his eyes again, “they were one step ahead of us.”

Sunggyu swallowed a lump in his throat. He glanced at Woohyun, only to see the other man staring wide-eyed at Myungsoo’s lap. Confused, Sunggyu followed his gaze and- ah. It was only then that Sunggyu noticed the shiny black gun resting in Myungsoo’s palm. He looked between Woohyun and the gun for a moment before deciding to stare out the window, his chest tightening as the silence pressed down on them all.

-

Sungyeol kicked a piece of a fragmented light bulb angrily. The shattered remains of a lamp lay scattered around his feet, strewn across the floor of the living room. Sungyeol was breathing heavily, having watched his target escape in a car from the window of this guy’s apartment.

Sungyeol turned to the figure in the armchair. The man’s eyes were still open. A small trickle of blood ran down the center of his forehead from an angry bullet hole near his hairline. Sungyeol’s bullet. There was even an open book in his lap. Sungyeol picked up the book, curiously peering at the title, then snorted. “Shakespeare.” He tossed the book aside carelessly.

“How did he get away, huh?” Sungyeol asked the dead man as he started to pace the length of the room, broken glass crunching under his feet. “I was so close, so close. He’s quick, I’ll give him that, but I’m quicker.”

He gave the room one last look before heading for the door.

“I’ll find you again, Kim Myungsoo. And when I do…I swear I’m going to kill you.”

-

Sunggyu emerged from the bathroom to find Woohyun perched unmoving on the foot of his bed. His eyes were blank, staring at the opposite wall, and his legs were crossed. It scared Sunggyu a little bit, to be honest.

“Woohyun?” He asked tentatively. “…are you alright?”

Woohyun jerked his head in Sunggyu’s direction, emotionless eyes suddenly connected with his. “Sunggyu,” he said, still unmoving. “What’s going on.”

“Sorry?” Sunggyu swallowed, taken aback by Woohyun’s attitude. This was something he had never seen in the two years spent living with the man.

“You heard me. I want to know what’s happening. There’s obviously something you’re not telling me, and apparently everyone knows about it but me.”

“I don’t know what you’re-”

“Don’t give me that bullshit, Kim Sunggyu!” Woohyun’s emotionless façade broke and his fist clenched as he screamed at Sunggyu, his eyes huge and angry. Sunggyu unconsciously took a step backwards. “I’m so fucking tired of this ‘oh Woohyun, I just want to protect you’ shit. You’re not being honest with me, and I know it. So you better fucking sit down and tell me what’s going on, or so help me God.”

“Woohyun, I know you’re angry, but-”

“Angry? Angry? Yes, I’m fucking angry, Sunggyu! Did you see what happened today? Myungsoo almost got shot in there. And he had a gun, Sunggyu. A gun. Wait, don’t tell me, you have a gun too, don’t you? Everyone has a gun but me, because apparently we’re in a shitload of danger and I have no idea how big of a mess we’re in.”

Woohyun was practically hysterical by this point, moisture building in the corner of his eyes as he rambled on and on, face flushed. He was wringing his hands, eyes darting to the sides. Now this side of Woohyun Sunggyu knew.

“Hey hey hey, come here,” Sunggyu said softly, taking a seat next to Woohyun and carefully wrapping his arms around him. Woohyun resisted for a moment before going limp, clutching Sunggyu’s shirt and burying his face into Sunggyu’s neck. “Listen, I know that you’re really scared. I’m scared, too.” The shaking of Woohyun’s shoulders and the sudden wetness against his neck make Sunggyu rub small circles onto Woohyun’s back. “I honestly don’t know how big of a mess we’re dealing with either, but I know that it’s pretty big. And trust me, I hate myself so freaking much for dragging you into this. And I know you’re going to hate me for saying this, but there really are some things I can’t tell you right now.”

He felt Woohyun stiffen in his arms but before the other boy could raise his head Sunggyu slipped a hand into his hair. “Wait, wait. I said that I can’t tell you right this moment, not that I can’t tell you ever. I am going to tell you, probably in the near future. But just…not now.” Sunggyu pulled away and took Woohyun’s face into his hands. Woohyun’s eyes were still watery, but the anger seemed to be gone. “I know I’ve said this a million times before, but I need you to trust me. Please.”

Woohyun stared at him for a while, blinking rapidly. Then he pressed his lips together and gave a small nod. He raised a hand and gently slipped it over Sunggyu’s hand pressed against his cheek. They stared at each other for another moment, breaths caught in both of their throats, before Sunggyu slowly slipped his hands away. He whispered a quiet “goodnight, Woohyun” before climbing into his own bed. Woohyun fell asleep to the sound of his racing heartbeat.

-

The light was what Sunggyu up. Bright sunbeams covered his bed and the bed sheets were illuminated by the yellowish morning light. He squeezed his eyelids tight before opening them, blinking rapidly to get used to the brightness. Heaving a deep sigh, he started to sit up when suddenly his wrist was met with a strange resistance. Startled, Sunggyu fell back against the mattress, eyes flying open. His head snapped up to glance at his wrist.

And then his mouth fell open.

A shiny, heavy pair of handcuffs was circled around his wrist, the other end fastened to the headboard. He instinctively pulled his wrist forward, testing, but the metal wouldn’t budge.

They found me, was the first thought that popped into his head.

Shit, was the second.

His other hand, free of handcuffs, pushed on the bed underneath him as he struggled to get upright. “What the hell,” he murmured under his breath, his non-cuffed hand already starting to pull at the metal around his other wrist. He breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed the thin chain still around his neck.

He looked to his right, to Woohyun’s bed.

Empty.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no, shit.” He pulled on the metal again, over and over, the clanking of metal on metal filling the room. “Woohyun!” he called. “Woohyun!”

No answer.

A heavy ball of fear settled itself in Sunggyu’s chest, expanding with each unsuccessful tug of his wrist. There’s gotta be a way to get out of this, there’s gotta be a way, he chanted inside his head. Oh God, where was Woohyun, what if they took him, and Myungsoo, and what if-

“It won’t open without the key.”

Sunggyu jerked his head in the direction of the voice. Woohyun leaned against the wall right outside the bathroom, his expression impassive.

“Woohyun!” Sunggyu gasped, a wave of relief washing through his body. “Oh, Woohyun. Thank God you’re okay. Did you escape? Were you handcuffed too? Oh crap, help me out of this so we can leave, I can’t believe they found us again-”

“They didn’t find us.”

Woohyun’s soft voice cut through Sunggyu’s rambling and the elder stopped his struggling to stare. “What? What do you mean they didn’t find us? What’s going on?”

Woohyun didn’t respond. It was only then that Sunggyu realized the curiously expressionless face and blank eyes. Woohyun wasn’t even looking at him; he was too busy fiddling with a small object in his hands, flipping it between his fingers and over his palm, again and again.

“Woohyun!” Sunggyu growled, suddenly angry. “Stop playing with that- that whatever-it-is and help me out of this!” He jerked his wrist a few times, the jangling of the metal loud against their ears.

“Playing with what?” Woohyun asked, his voice still soft. “This?” He held up the item between his thumb and forefinger, letting it catch the light. Sunggyu squinted at it, furrowing his eyebrows until he could clearly see the outline of….a key.

“What the- Woohyun, what the hell is going on? Did you handcuff me to the headboard?” Sunggyu demanded. He yanked his wrist again, wincing as the metal cut into his skin.

“Yes.” Woohyun still wasn’t meeting Sunggyu’s eyes.

“Why?” Sunggyu hissed.

Woohyun raised his eyes then, meeting Sunggyu’s angry gaze with his carefully blank one. “Why? Why, you ask?” Woohyun walked over to the table beside his bed, opening the top drawer. “I woke up early this morning- not that I slept much last night anyway- and was looking for my toothbrush after I got dressed. I couldn’t find it in my bag, so I thought that maybe you had grabbed it.” There was something oddly unsettling about Woohyun’s voice. His voice was monotone, noticeably devoid of any emotion, and it sent a chill down Sunggyu’s spine. “I didn’t want to wake you up, so I decided that I’d look for it myself. I was halfway through your bag when I saw this.” Woohyun reached into the drawer and pulled out a pistol, setting in on top of the table.

The room was silent.

Sunggyu swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. His mind raced, trying to formulate an excuse for why he was carrying a gun, anything that would make sense. Anything but the truth.

“I- I’m not sure what exactly is going on here, but I know that you haven’t told me everything.” Woohyun’s emotionless façade was cracking, and Sunggyu could see the fear in his eyes. “I’m not letting you go until I get some answers.”

“So you handcuffed me to the bed?”

“I just want answers, Sunggyu.” Woohyun’s eyes were intense, burning into Sunggyu’s.

Sunggyu sighed, jangling the metal around his wrist once more. “You don’t know what you’re asking for. You don’t want to know the truth.”

Woohyun huffed, his jaw tightening. “This is obviously a dangerous situation. How the hell am I supposed to help if I don’t even know what’s happening or why?”

“You’re not supposed to help!” Sunggyu cracked. His angry yell took both of them by surprise and Woohyun’s eyes flew wide. “You’re not supposed to help, you’re supposed to be safe, Woohyun! Not knowing the truth is supposed to save your life!”

“Save my...life?”

“Yes! Your life is in danger. If they find you…Woohyun, they could kill you. My old agency probably knows who you are and that you have been with me. They could capture you, and t-torture you, and- I can’t, Woohyun, I can’t. I can’t let that happen.” Sunggyu breaths were becoming shallower as his voice filled with desperation.

Woohyun looked terrified, his breaths just as short. But he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and carefully constructed a brave face. “I don’t care. Sure, they can hurt me, but they can hurt you, too. And Myungsoo. I just want to know what’s going on so that I can help look out for you. Please.”

They stared at each other for a long moment, wide eyes connected with determined ones. Finally Sunggyu let out a long breath.

“If you’re sure.”

Woohyun nodded vigorously.

“Unlock me first.”

Woohyun stepped closer and fit the small key into the handcuffs, opening them with a clink. Sunggyu extracted his wrist and rubbed the pink skin, glaring at Woohyun. “Where did you get these, anyway?”

Woohyun averted his eyes, clearing his throat. Were his cheeks turning pink? “Um…Myungsoo lent them to me. I told him I needed them for you and I- I think he got the wrong idea.”

Oh. Sunggyu felt his cheeks heating up, too, so he sniffed loudly and patted the mattress next to him. “Sit.”

Woohyun obeyed, settling on the bed with his thigh pressed against Sunggyu’s.

“I was afraid to tell you the whole truth when I came to live with you. I didn’t want to scare you away, or gross you out, or make you hate me.” Woohyun opened his mouth, but Sunggyu hushed him. “No, listen. I was really confused and I hated myself for what I had done. I- I really did work for the government. I was a scientist, and I worked on top secret projects under a secret agency called Agency X. I had to go through spy training, just for safety measures, to learn how to keep my job a secret and to cover up my tracks if some experiment went awry. Two months before I escaped, I was assigned a project. X17.”

Sunggyu glanced at Woohyun’s face. He was listening with complete concentration. “X17 was something we had never tried before, something no one had any confidence in. But I was interested. I started spending all day at the lab, working overtime- coming in early and leaving late. I became obsessed with this thing- this X17. My partners began dropping out of the project until I was the only one left. I was getting close to completing it, it was almost ready to be activated, but no one knew. The guy in charge stopped checking up on it, and no one asked me about it anymore. I guess they forgot. I didn’t remind them.”

“So, it was like it had just…disappeared?”

Sunggyu shrugged. “I guess people just thought that it would never work. And I was too selfish to say anything. X17 became my creation, my child. I and I alone was the brainpower behind it. I wanted it for myself. One night, I was the only one left in the lab. I had somehow misplaced one of my log papers and I was searching around for it. I don’t know how, but I ended up in the office of the lab’s head scientist. I was rifling through his papers when I saw it. ‘The Plan for X17’.”

Sunggyu’s voice became weary and his hands lifted to cover his face. “It was horrible, Woohyun, just horrible. They were going to use it on soldiers and secret agents…they were going to make it a required part of training…they were going to create a special group of prisoners to use as a test round, and I- I couldn’t. I saw the plan and I couldn’t believe the government could do something so…so evil. Sure, X17 was innovative, but you weren’t supposed to use it on a group of people- just one person, two at the most. It was supposed to be for health reasons only. It was too dangerous.”

Sunggyu inhaled sharply, sitting up straight again. “I panicked. I was obsessed with X17 and thought of it as my own creation, remember. So…I decided to activate it.” Woohyun gasped, his body going still. “I didn’t want to, really I didn’t, but I couldn’t let Agency X have it, not after what I’d seen. So, I decided to stage a laboratory fire. I contacted Myungsoo, and he agreed to help me. We planned for a week and when the day finally came, I put X17 into effect. I didn’t want to test it on someone else, so I just did it on myself. I used some of the chemicals that I used on X17 to set the lab on fire to make it seem like X17 was destroyed.

"But that’s not even the worst part. X17…malfunctioned. It stopped before the process was completed, and it exploded. I almost died.” Sunggyu’s eyes were fixed on the carpet. “Somehow, Myungsoo was able to rescue me and patch me up, and I survived. He’s been checking on me ever since, making sure I’m okay and recording my progress. He never recorded the fact that X17 was destroyed in case the files were stolen, which was obviously a good choice. So hopefully, that means that the people chasing me are spending more time looking for X17 than they are looking for me.”

Woohyun was quiet, his eyes staring unfocused across the room. “But….what did it do? X17, I mean. What was the purpose of it?”

Sunggyu swallowed, closing his eyes for a brief moment. “You don’t want to know.”

Woohyun narrowed his eyes, his muscles tensing. “Sunggyu-”

“I know, I know. I’ll tell you. But believe me, you don’t want to know.”

With those haunting words, Sunggyu leaned over and whispered into Woohyun’s ear, his words low and quick. After a few moments of whispering, Sunggyu pulled back. Woohyun’s face was frozen, his eyes wide. He let out a strangled breath, struggling to control his expression. “Really?” he breathed, his voice incredulous.

Sunggyu only nodded.

Woohyun leaned back. He blinked several times. “Wow. That’s- that’s unbelievable. So, where do you keep your…you know…”

“It’s in a vault in a secret government warehouse. Very safe. I hid it with the files on how to rebuild X17.”

Woohyun nodded, blowing out his cheeks. His expression was still a little dazed. He glanced at Sunggyu hesitantly. “Can- can I see it?”

Sunggyu raised his eyebrows. “See what?”

“The scar.” Woohyun’s eyes were timid and unsure.

Sunggyu stared for a moment. Then he nodded, gripping the hem of his t-shirt. He pulled the shirt over his head in one swift motion, the shirt landing softly at his side. It was suddenly silent, and Sunggyu felt very, very naked under Woohyun’s searching eyes.

“Wow,” Woohyun breathed again, his eyes fixed on Sunggyu’s chest. “So this is why you never took off your shirt around me.” Woohyun unconsciously raised a hand and pressed light fingertips to the long, pink scar that ran straight through the left side of Sunggyu’s chest. It started thin, just below the collarbone, and ran all the way down until it stopped right above the place where his ribcage splits, some distance above his bellybutton. It was ugly and jagged, obviously not performed by a professional’s hand. Sunggyu tried not to look, tried not to remember the terror and the blood and the literal heart-stopping pain. Woohyun’s fingers found the chain that was hanging around his neck. He held the object attached to the chain in his palm. “Is this…?”

“The key to the vault? Yes. I keep it with me at all times.”

Woohyun nodded slowly, dropping the small silver key. He then started to trace the raised skin of Sunggyu’s scar with two of his fingers, running them down Sunggyu’s chest, then back up. Sunggyu tried not to shiver; Woohyun’s fingers were cold. He focused instead on Woohyun’s face. His eyes were open wide in wonder and maybe a bit in fascination, his lips parted. Sunggyu felt his cheeks heat up while he stared at Woohyun’s lips, his lips that were a bit too close to Sunggyu’s face as he leaned forward to trace the scar.

When his eyes finally flickered back up to Woohyun’s, he found that the other man was staring straight back at him. Sunggyu blinked, startled and maybe a little embarrassed, hoping he hadn’t been caught staring at Woohyun’s lips. One look at Woohyun’s eyes, though, told him that he had. He held his breath, staring. He watched in anticipation as Woohyun’s teeth suddenly appeared, biting into the flesh of his lower lip, his eyes still connected with Sunggyu’s. Sunggyu held back a gasp as Woohyun’s eyes flickered down to Sunggyu’s lips, then back up to his eyes. Sunggyu froze, his breath catching as Woohyun’s eyes flickered down again. He started to lean in closer, slowly, his fingers still on Sunggyu’s bare skin.

It was only when Woohyun was centimeters away, his eyes sliding shut, that Sunggyu let out his breath and pulled away sharply, turning his head to the side as Woohyun’s fingers fell from his chest. Woohyun’s eyes snapped open as he sat back, his expression confused and hurt. Sunggyu kept his eyes on the carpet as he cleared his throat. “Um. I’m going to go shower now.” He stood up and hurried into the bathroom, closing the door and leaving a very confused Woohyun behind.

-

The next morning saw the three men in Myungsoo’s hotel room, bright and early, planning out their next move. Myungsoo had a map laid out on the desk, possible hideouts highlighted in red. He and Sunggyu were leaning over the paper, debating the pros and cons of each location when there was a sharp rap on the door. They (including Woohyun, who was perched on the bed) looked at each other in alarm, completely still. The person rapped again, twice this time. After a quick and silent hand signal, Sunggyu and Woohyun ducked behind the bed as Myungsoo swiftly picked up a pistol lying on the counter and slipped it into the waist band of his pants, pressing into his lower back. He then carefully cracked open the door. “Yes?”

“Kim Myungsoo.” Sunggyu heard the person outside the door say. It was a man’s voice, or rather, a boy’s. It was a pitch higher than his own. Sunggyu exchanged a terrified glance with Woohyun.

“Yes?”

“May I come in?”

“Depends.” Despite Myungsoo’s tone of nonchalance, Sunggyu could see that Myungsoo was gripping the door so tight his knuckles were white. His other hand was creeping toward the gun tucked in his pants. “Tell me who you are.”

“Lee Sungjong.” The voice replied smoothly.

“What do you want?”

“I’d rather we discuss that inside, if that’s alright with you.” The voice was light, but Sunggyu could hear the seriousness lying underneath.

Myungsoo wordlessly swung the door open, and the boy stepped inside. He was about Myungsoo’s height, with long black hair that fell in front of his eyes. He wore a leather jacket, black jeans, and tennis shoes. His face was pretty, almost feminine, with round eyes and plush lips. There was a slightly feline look to him, the way he moved with almost animal grace. Sunggyu was right; he was young. He looked about seventeen years old. His eyes glanced around the room before settling on Myungsoo. “I know who you are.”

Sunggyu would’ve missed it if he had blinked. In a split second, Myungsoo was aiming his gun at the boy’s face with tight lips. But the boy had moved too, quick as lightning, and his gun- which appeared out of nowhere- was expertly trained on Myungsoo, his fingers long and slender. His face showed no trace of fear; he was even smirking a bit. “You can tell your friends to come out now. I know they’re hiding behind the bed.”

Sunggyu and Woohyun exchanged a glance before slowly standing up, not wanting to add to the tension in the room. Myungsoo’s lips flattened into a slim line. “Who are you and what do you want.”

“I told you. I’m Lee Sungjong. I work for Agency X.” Myungsoo fingers tightened around the trigger, and Sungjong held up the palm of the hand that wasn’t holding his own gun. “Whoa whoa whoa. Listen to me. I came here to help you. My partners are trying to kill you, and Sunggyu, and I’m here to offer my help.”

Myungsoo scoffed. “Offer your help, my ass. You’re a double agent. Trying to pull the wool over our eyes, huh? We’re not dumbasses.” He lifted his gun higher, pointing straight between Sungjong’s eyes.

“I’m not trying to trick you, I swear!” Sungjong’s eyes grew rounder, but he still kept his composure. “I hate my job. I hate the way I’m treated and I hate my boss. I’m here to offer you a deal- a ‘you scratch my back, I scratch yours’ kind of thing. I’ll help you get out of this mess,” he locked eyes with Myungsoo, then Woohyun, then Sunggyu, “and you help me disappear, the way Sunggyu did.”

“Why do you want to disappear?” Sunggyu couldn’t help asking. Myungsoo shot him an annoyed glance.

Sungjong turned to him. “You can’t just quit a job like mine. There’s no other way out.”

“And why do you think we’ll help you?” Myungsoo questioned, his voice still full of distrust.

“I know my partners. I know their plans and the way they think. I can help you get away,” he glanced at Sunggyu, “alive.”

“And how to we know that you’re not a double agent about to kill us?” Woohyun spoke up for the first time.

Sungjong shrugged. “You don’t. I can give you nothing but my word. I’ll have to stay with you while I help you escape so you can watch me 24/7, make sure I don’t contact anyone. And after you’ve helped me, you’ll never see me again.”

His words hung in the air while Woohyun, Sunggyu, and Myungsoo traded glances, weighing the options in their heads. After a few moments of silence, Myungsoo swallowed and nodded. “Alright. We’ll take the deal. But make one wrong move, boy, and I’ll send this bullet straight between your eyes.”

Sungjong nodded.

Myungsoo kept his gun in his hands and motioned to Sungjong with it. “Put your gun on the counter.” Sungjong obeyed, and after he sat down on the edge of the bed, Myungsoo tucked his gun back into his belt, his eyes still wary.

“Alright.” Three pairs of eyes fixed on the young boy. “Tell us everything you know.”

-

Sunggyu stared out the window as huge buildings flashed by, neon signs burning into his retinas. The leathery smell of Myungsoo’s car was somehow comforting, and the seat was soft against his back. Next to him, Sungjong’s head had rolled onto Woohyun’s shoulder, his hand placed on Woohyun’s knee. Woohyun had taken to the boy quickly, his motherly instincts kicking in once he was convinced Sungjong wasn’t a double agent. He bought him new clothes and shoes and almost shrieked when he saw how skinny he was.

Woohyun was a naturally affectionate person and felt uneasy when he didn’t have someone to take care of. Usually, that person would be Sunggyu, but now Sungjong received most of his attention. And the boy didn’t mind at all. In fact, he soaked up the attention like a sponge, hanging off of Woohyun and eating everything he cooked. Sunggyu always felt a twinge of sadness whenever he looked at Sungjong. He imagined that he probably never received this kind of attention.

Myungsoo was sitting in the front seat, his eyes on the map while he gave short directions to the driver. He didn’t sleep, even when night fell. Sunggyu had dozed off a couple of times, and every time his eyes opened again Myungsoo would be awake, bent over the map.

They were headed to the warehouse. Sungjong told them that it had been discovered by Agency X and they were trying to figure out how to break in. The terror that seized Sunggyu then was still running in his veins, just as hot. What if they found it? What would they do? If they destroyed it, would he know? Would it…would it hurt? These questions ran through his head over and over and over as the night flew past the windows. If Agency X got their hands on the instructions to make another X17, everything he had sacrificed would be for nothing.

They had spent three days in the hotel after Sungjong came, planning their moves and how they would attack, if needed. If Agency X had already arrived, they might have to fight to get inside. That was the terrifying part. He, Myungsoo, and Sungjong had all been trained, at varying levels, how to fight. Woohyun, however, can’t even shoot a gun.

He glanced over at Woohyun’s face. Woohyun’s eyes were shut, his head leaning against Sungjong’s as he slept. The lights from outside the window danced over his face. Sunggyu traced the lines of his face with his eyes- the slant of his brows, the bridge of his nose, the dip of his cupid’s bow. When he finally looked away, he met Myungsoo’s eyes in the mirror. He imagined that the same misery in Myungsoo’s eyes was probably reflected in his own.

-

Sunggyu was shaken awake by Myungsoo’s cold hands. The car was utterly silent, and when Sunggyu started to grumble sleepily Woohyun’s warm hand pressed against his mouth, silencing him. Sitting up straight, Sunggyu looked out the window and his stomach clenched. Outside the car was green- green trees and long grass and thorny bushes. The sounds of a forest surrounded them, the chirping of faraway birds and the buzzing of various insects. They were near the warehouse, and a poorly concealed black van was parked behind a particularly large bush.

They were here.

Myungsoo motioned them to get out of the car, as silently as possible, in case anyone was nearby. He got out first, his gun held stiffly in front of his face. Every muscle in his body was as taut as a wire. Woohyun and Sungjong slid out next. Sunggyu followed shortly after, the pistol in his hand feeling suddenly foreign, oddly shaped in his sweating palm. Woohyun swallowed thickly, his hand pressed against his probably wildly beating heart in an attempt to slow his pulse. Sunggyu could see the pulse move his fingers up and down in a fast rhythm. Sunggyu placed his hand against his own chest, pressing hard into his skin. His fingers didn’t move. It had been a long time since they had.

Myungsoo waved to their driver, who immediately put the car into park and turned off the ignition, throwing them into complete silence. He glanced at Sungjong briefly, who nodded back wordlessly. After locking eyes with each of them, Myungsoo turned and began his path through the forest, parting branches and slashing through huge spider webs with the barrel of his gun. Twigs crunched beneath their feet, and there was an occasional scrape against a tree trunk, but overall Sunggyu was impressed by their stealth. They moved virtually soundlessly through the trees, sometimes ducking into the tall grass when Myungsoo thought he had seen movement.

They continued on for what seemed like forever, with sweat beginning to roll down their backs. Sunggyu’s hands were sweaty, his gun slipping around in his slackening grip. His feet started to get clumsy, catching all the hidden branches and dirt mounds. Sungjong, however, was effortlessly graceful. He crept through the grass like a cheetah, with a curved spine and intense eyes. He held a small knife in his thin hands that caught the light every now and then. Woohyun kept throwing the weapon uneasy glances.

Suddenly, Myungsoo threw up a hand in warning as he sank to his knees. The others followed suit. When Sunggyu peeked above the tall grass he saw a figure clad in black, about thirty feet away, slowly pacing back and forth with a huge gun nestled in his arms. He wore sunglasses and long sleeves but no hat, leaving his hair, which was a strange shade of blue, to reflect the light of the sun trickling in through the canopy. He stopped in front of a small stump and turned around, pacing back the other way.

Myungsoo motioned them closer. “A guard,” he said in a harsh whisper. “They’re definitely camping out here. Woohyun, come with me. We’ll check around the perimeter and see if there are any other guards. Sungjong, you and Sunggyu stay here. And stay quiet.”

Sunggyu and Sungjong nodded, lowering themselves until they were lying on their stomachs, hidden from view. Myungsoo nodded sharply at Woohyun then started to slink through the grass. Woohyun turned to follow, but Sunggyu grabbed his arm before he could leave.

“Be safe,” Sunggyu mouthed. Woohyun nodded, squeezing Sunggyu’s hand before slipping away.

When Sunggyu turned around, Sungjong was staring at him, a strange look on his face.

“What?” Sunggyu asked, feeling uncomfortable.

Sungjong shook his head. “Nothing. It’s just…you and Woohyun.”

“What about us?”

“You obviously love each other a lot. He really looks after you. I just…I wish someone loved me like that.” The sadness of Sungjong’s voice pulled on Sunggyu’s emotions, so he leaned over and carefully wrapped an arm around the boy next to him. Sungjong leaned into his embrace, resting his head on Sunggyu’s shoulder.

“I’m not trying to start a sob session or anything. I’ve just been watching you the past couple of days, and it made me realize how much I’ve been missing. I never knew my mom- my parents divorced when I was a baby- and my dad was shot when I was ten. I lived on the streets after that, working for what I could get, and stealing when I had to. I became a pickpocket- and a really good one too. That’s how the Agency found me and recruited me. I nicked their top agent’s ID right out of his pocket on the subway. They were a little bit impressed.” Sungjong smiled slightly, a slight upturn of his lips.

“I’m sorry, Sungjong,” Sunggyu whispered, rubbing the boy’s back. “Life is hard for everyone. Some people’s lives are just harder than others.”

Sungjong chuckled. “You’re telling me.”

“So how did-”

Sunggyu’s question was cut off as a deafening gunshot pierced the air. They both stiffened, their eyes wide. Sungjong slowly peeked above the grass and saw the blue haired guard looking confused and startled, glancing around him. All three flinched when three more shots sounded. The guard, who was starting to look worried, walked quickly away, no doubt going to investigate. He didn’t take more than two steps, however, when four figures came bolting through the trees at full speed, gunshots exploding over their heads. Myungsoo and Woohyun were sprinting side by side, Myungsoo firing shots over his shoulder, as two other black-clad guards ran after them, firing their guns.

“GO!” Myungsoo shouted as they neared Sunggyu and Sungjong’s hiding place. Sunggyu, running purely on adrenaline, shot upwards, firing at the blue-haired guard. The bullet hit him square in the shoulder and he fell with a shout of pain. One of the other guards glanced at him and shouted a name. Then he turned his attention to Sunggyu, the gleam of revenge in his eyes quite frightening. Sunggyu barely had time to duck before a bullet whizzed over his head, barely missing him. Woohyun and Myungsoo rounded, turning back to fire at the two remaining guards.

One of them kept his attention on Myungsoo and Myungsoo only. With a jolt, Sunggyu caught sight of the many piercing on his ear. His face was twisted into a feral snarl as he fired again and again, only to have Myungsoo expertly evade every shot. He started to get angry and careless, shooting wildly and missing Myungsoo’s shots by a margin that was steadily narrowing. He shot three consecutive bullets, and Sunggyu watched in terror as Myungsoo twisted in the middle of his run and fell to the ground, clutching his side.

The guard yelled in victory, almost running to the spot where Myungsoo was in glee. He was only three steps away when Myungsoo suddenly rose up from the grass, his side completely unhurt, and fired with perfect precision straight at the oncoming guard. The guard was able to twist away on reflex, but the bullet sliced right into his side, under his ribs. He fell with an angry cry and a hand clutched to his side.

The one remaining guard, noticing his fallen comrades, began to shoot wildly, dodging bullets from two sides as Sunggyu and Myungsoo both trained their guns on him.

Sunggyu watched with a growing sense of horror as the guard’s gun pointed right at Woohyun. It was almost as if everything happened in slow motion. Sunggyu saw him pull the trigger. He saw the bullet slide out of the barrel and spin through the air with deadly accuracy. He saw it hit Woohyun. He saw Woohyun’s face contort in surprise and then pain, his spine bending as he folded in on himself and dropped to the ground. Sunggyu didn’t hear the shouts of Myungsoo or Sungjong behind him or the shots continually firing from Myungsoo’s hand. He only heard Woohyun’s gasp and the sound of his body hitting the ground. He only saw the dark red stain spreading over the fabric of his shirt.

Woohyun was shot, Woohyun was shot, Woohyun was shot-

Sunggyu felt as if he was in a daze, his head swimming and his vision foggy.

Woohyun was shot, Woohyun was shot, Woohyun was shot-

Sunggyu watched as his own hand gripped his gun harder. He watched, totally detached, as he fired at the guard, his bullet tearing into the guard’s leg, making him collapse and scream in pain. He suddenly found himself next to Woohyun, his hands in Woohyun’s hair and cupping his cheek.

“Woohyun, Woohyun, Woohyun,” he chanted, more like a prayer than anything else.

Woohyun’s eyes were closed but his breathing was almost steady. “I- I think I’m okay. I think the bullet just grazed my shoulder.” His hand was pressed against his shoulder, covered in dark red blood. But he gently raised his arm, flexing his shoulder. He winced only a little at the movement. His eyes opened slowly to meet Sunggyu’s, fear and relief plain in them.

Sunggyu exhaled deeply, leaning forward until his forehead was touching Woohyun’s, his hand still against his cheek. “Don’t you ever fucking scare me like that again,” he whispered, Woohyun’s breath fanning over his face.

“Sorry,” Woohyun whispered back, his breath still shallower than normal. They stayed like that for a long moment, with their foreheads together and arms wrapped around each other.

It was only when Sungjong’s tentative hand landed on Sunggyu’s shoulder that they pulled apart, Sunggyu’s arm still around Woohyun’s shoulders. Sungjong looked down on them. “The guards are injured. Myungsoo says that we should take them with us and head back for a little bit. Maybe we can use them as leverage later. Someone is bound to come investigate after all the gunshots anyways. It’s probably best to get somewhere safe.”

Myungsoo had already taken the guards hostage, thick rope binding their hands behind their backs. The blue-haired guard was obviously in pain, a deep wound in his shoulder still bleeding freely. The one who shot Woohyun was limping, his leg also covered in blood. And the last guard had a hand pressed tightly against his side, his face screwed up in an attempt to hide his pain. His eyes shot streams of fire in Myungsoo’s direction, which Myungsoo promptly ignored. Myungsoo kept his gun trained on them, nudging them in the back to get them moving. The party retreated back into the woods, letting the trees keep them hidden. They found a small clearing after about ten minutes of walking. Myungsoo stopped them and all but shoved the three guards to the ground, quickly tying up their feet too so they couldn’t escape.

Sungjong, who had been hanging back during their retreat to safety, tugged at Sunggyu’s arm. “I’m going to go see if anyone’s following us,” he said softly, his feline eyes darting to the two guards.

Sunggyu nodded. He watched as Sungjong melted back into the trees, totally silent.

Once they were settled, Myungsoo ripped open his backpack and pulled out some medical supplies. He tended to the blue-haired guard first, who seemed like he needed the most care. Sunggyu grabbed some supplies and headed over to where Woohyun was sitting, a small distance away from the rest of them.

“Here, let me patch you up,” Sunggyu said, settling into the grass next to him. Woohyun watched with unreadable eyes as Sunggyu cleaned the wound and dressed it with practiced hands, slow and methodical.

“Can I ask you a question?” Woohyun broke the silence with a soft voice. Sunggyu glanced up from his work to see Woohyun staring at him.

“Go ahead.”

“What would you have done if I had really gotten shot?”

Sunggyu’s hands kept moving with an experienced ease as he pondered the question. “I’d rather not think about that. You pretty much gave me a heart attack as it is.” And it was true. Sunggyu almost felt his heart stop at that moment. Which, he knew, was impossible. “This is why I didn’t want you involved in this. I was afraid that you’d get hurt and that I wouldn’t be able to save you. That is what terrifies me the most.”

He finished wrapping the wound and patted the bandage gently. Before he could pull away, however, Woohyun caught one of his hands in his. Sunggyu looked at him, startled. Woohyun took Sunggyu’s hand and placed it against his cheek, leaning into the touch. “Thank you. For worrying about me, I mean. It means a lot to me.” Woohyun’s whisper was so soft that Sunggyu had to lean in to hear him properly.

Sunggyu gulped, his skin heating up. “You mean a lot to me, you know. I don’t know what I’d do without you. I think that’s why the thought of losing you scares me so much.”

This time when Woohyun caught his eyes, Sunggyu didn’t look away. He didn’t avoid his gaze or awkwardly break eye contact. He didn’t pull away when Woohyun leaned in closer, his eyes shining. When Woohyun’s eyes slowly slid shut, so did his. His hand slipped from Woohyun’s cheek to beneath his jaw, pulling his face forward until something soft pressed against his lips.

Kissing Woohyun felt like everything he thought it would feel like. His lips were plush and soft, molding around the shape of Sunggyu’s lips. It felt comforting and familiar, like they had been doing this their whole lives. He felt Woohyun’s lips move underneath his own, pushing against his with a gentle pressure. Woohyun tasted like mint and somehow, like sunshine. Before they broke apart, Woohyun seized Sunggyu’s lower lip in between his teeth and bit down gently as he pulled away, scraping his teeth across the sensitive skin. Sunggyu shivered slightly, and Woohyun smirked, sucking his own bottom lip between his teeth. Sunggyu smiled and was about to pull Woohyun back in for another kiss when he heard his name being called in a panicked tone.

“Sunggyu!”

They both turned to see Myungsoo rifling through his backpack, hastily throwing out bandages and ointments onto the grass. “Sunggyu, I know I put it in here, I swear-”

“Put what in there?” Sunggyu asked, instantly on alert. Myungsoo was never, ever unsettled unless something serious was happening. He sprang up and hurried over to Myungsoo’s side, Woohyun following behind him.

“The codes, the codes. The security codes to get into the vault. I put them here, in this pocket. I swear I did, Sungjong watched me do it.” Myungsoo took the backpack and held it upside down, contents pouring out onto the grass. There were bandages and creams and extra bullets. But no codes. He clawed through them anyway, spreading everything in his panic.

“Do you think someone took them?” Woohyun asked. Sunggyu stood frozen, a heavy ball of dread settling in his stomach.

Myungsoo grit his teeth, standing up. He grabbed his gun from his belt and pointed it straight at the guards. “What did you do with my codes?” he growled, his expression absolutely terrifying. Even Sunggyu shrank away in fear. He aimed at the first guard, the one who had been shooting at him, and glared. “You took it, didn’t you? What’s your name?”

“Lee Sungyeol.” The guard returned Myungsoo’s glare with the same amount of heated intensity.

“You were the one who tried to kill me, in that apartment near Incheon,” Myungsoo snarled.

The first guard snarled right back, spitting at Myungsoo’s feet. “That’s right. And I almost did, too. I don’t care about your stupid codes. My job is to kill you.”

“Great work, then,” Myungsoo snorted in derision. The guard just snarled again.

“And you,” Myungsoo moved his gun to the second guard with the blue hair, “what about you?”

“Jang Dongwoo,” he panted, his blue hair sticking to his forehead with sweat. “I don’t have your codes. I was just guarding the place when I heard people shooting.”

Myungsoo’s gun moved to the next guard, whose expression was hard and unmoving. “Lee Howon. If I had your codes, we would be inside by now.”

Myungsoo didn’t move for a moment, his eyes flickering between the three, before he slowly lowered his gun. He ran a hand through his hair before turning to Sunggyu and Woohyun. “They didn’t take them. But the question is- who did?”

“Wasn’t me,” Sunggyu said, shrugging his shoulders.

“Me either,” Woohyun said, patting himself down.

“Maybe it was….hey, where’s Sungjong?” Myungsoo peered over his shoulder, glancing around the clearing.

“He was going to check for any more guards.”

“Are you talking about that kid that was with you?” Dongwoo spoke up, his bloody hand still pressed against his shoulder.

All three turned to him. Sunggyu nodded. “Yeah, he’s the kid that used to work in your agency.”

Dongwoo’s eyebrows furrowed. “What? What kid?”

The three of them exchanged glances. “Sungjong said that he worked for Agency X and escaped because he was being mistreated.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Howon said, his eyes hard. “But I do know that we’ve been tracking that kid for weeks.”

The ball in Sunggyu’s stomach grew heavier. “What do you mean?”

“He broke into Agency X’s headquarters about a month ago and stole a couple of top-secret files. We’ve been trying to find him ever since. All that we could dig up on him was that he lives in some secret hideout with his crazy mad scientist father.”

“His father?” Sunggyu cut in, his mouth suddenly dry. “He told me his father got shot.”

Howon shook his head. “Not as far as we know. Apparently, he stole the files we had on X17. Luckily, we had made a few extra copies, but still. That information isn’t supposed to get out.”

Sunggyu could feel his breathing getting shallower and shallower. This can’t be right. Sungjong couldn’t have tricked them so well.

“So he isn’t a double agent?” Myungsoo asked.

“He doesn’t work for us,” Dongwoo answered.

“Then…who does he work for?”

Sunggyu’s hand went to his chest, by reflex, and it took him a moment of searching to realize something. He froze, pressing his palm hard against his chest. Nothing. He ran his hand up around his neck, searching for the chain. Nothing.

Oh no.

Oh no, oh no, oh no.

Sunggyu swore his blood stopped flowing.

“It’s gone.”

“What?” Woohyun jerked to face him, his face pale.

“The key, the key is gone. I had it- oh.” He had it when they were in the forest. He had it when they saw Dongwoo guarding the warehouse. He had it when he-

He had it when he was hugging Sungjong.

‘I lived on the streets after that, working for what I could get, and stealing when I had to. I became a pickpocket- and a really good one too.’

Sunggyu dug a hand into his pocket, his fingers numb, with just one last glimmer of hope. He pulled out a small slip of paper. On it was five words, written in neat, slanted handwriting.

I work for no one.

-

The inside of the warehouse was dark and dusty. The smell made Sungjong’s nose wrinkle as he moved soundlessly down the many hallways. His eyes passed over rows and rows of objects- guns and chemicals and stacks and stacks of files. He knew where he was going.

He reached the center of the warehouse and found the wire cage immediately. He smiled to himself, humming a little tune as he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. On the paper, scrawled in Myungsoo’s messy hand, were all the security codes he needed. He read them out loud, punching the numbers into the keypad on the cage. It opened with a satisfying click.

He lifted out another cage, smaller this time. Smiling still, he continued down the list of codes and spun the dial on the lock until it too unlocked with a click.

The last cage was smaller still, locked with a simple screen. The screen was blank, devoid of any number pad or keyboard. Sungjong carefully pressed his finger to it and traced an intricate pattern.

The cage unlocked with a soft click.

“Daddy, you’re going to be so proud of me,” Sungjong whispered, lifting the lid with his thin fingers. He held his breath as he pulled out a thick file first, white and nondescript. He flipped it open briefly and lit up at the sight of extensive notes and blueprints. After a moment, he set the file aside and took a deep breath. This is what he’d been waiting for.

He slowly lifted out a wooden box, about the size of a shoebox. He held it in his hands reverently before taking off a chain from around his neck. A tiny silver lock hung from the front of the box. Sungjong gulped as he inserted the key, handing from the thin chain, into the lock. He took another deep breath before turning it, hearing the click, and the lid lifted on its own.

Sungjong’s eyes grew wide as he stared at the contents of the box.

“Daddy,” he breathed, “you are not going to believe this.”

In the silence and stillness of the warehouse, Sungjong could feel the steady vibrations of the box against his fingers. The sound, too, echoed off the walls.

Tha-thump. Tha-thump. Tha-thump.


End file.
